Growing Peanuts In Cooler Climates
Did you know that peanuts are actually a legume and not a nut? I only discovered this a few years ago. Famous as a salty roasted treat, peanuts can be eaten fresh and cooked much the same way as you would prepare other legumes.
They are generally seen as a warm climate crop however there are strains that have been adapted to growing in cooler climates. We are in zone 4a and can grow them.
How to Grow
Peanuts like well drained, sandy soil and as much sun and heat as possible. They need plenty of time to grow so if you live in a cooler climate you'll need to start them indoors. Here's a guide on how to do that. Choose peanuts that are suited to your climate for best results. Virginia, Spanish & Valencia and two good short growing varieties. We get ours from Annapolis Seeds in Nova Scotia, Canada.
You can plant the whole peanut in the shell or gently break it open to plant the peanut/seed inside. Make sure you don't peel the thin papery covering if you choose to break it open. Plant it as you would any other seed.
Plant after the last frost, when soil temperatures have warmed to around h 65°—70°F. Plant in 2" deep trenches. Water & mulch well. Peanuts grow much like potatoes with the flowers on the plant and the nuts/seeds developing underground. Hilling the a few times in the growing season can improve yields.
Interesting Facts
- As a legume the peanut is a nitrogen fixer
- You can eat them fresh or boiled in salt water
Here is a Great Video From Annapolis Seeds about The Annapolis Select Peanut
Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch Cooking|
You can also find me at: walkerland.ca
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Thank you for teaching me something new today—I didn’t realize that growing peanuts was a possibility here! (Though well drained, sandy soil isn’t exactly abundant...)
I stuck mine in a raised bed with nothing special done to the soil and they did ok.
Thank You, good post.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!
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I’m thinking of growing peanuts in the next year or two, but our soil is horrible rock and clay. I have raised beds for most of what I grow, but they aren’t deep enough for potatoes or peanuts or anything that grows underground. I grow sweet potatoes in buckets. I wonder if peanuts would do okay in buckets?
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